How to Watch 2022 NCAA March Madness Games Worldwide!

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A Quick Guide: Watch 2022 NCAA March Madness from Anywhere in the World

March is in full swing, which means men’s college basketball fans have plenty to be pumped about. The first tip-off for NCAA March Madness is set for Tuesday, March 15 2022 in Dayton, Ohio. The National Championship game is April 4, but they’ll be plenty of nail-biting action in between.

If you’re traveling or working abroad during March Madness this year, you won’t be able to access streaming platforms that are based in the US. You can thank international geo-restrictions for that. But luckily, there’s a quick fix. You just need a VPN. You can set one up and get to live streaming March Madness 2022 in a few minutes. Here’s how:

  1. Get a VPN for streaming live sports. We recommend streaming NCAA March Madness 2022 with NordVPN.
  2. Sign up and create an account via the website.
  3. Download and install the VPN onto your streaming device.
  4. Open the app and log in with the credentials you created at sign-up.
  5. Connect to a server in the United States. Once connected, wait for a second or two.
  6. You’ll need SlingTV to access the Final Four and National Championship games on TBS. You’ll need Paramount+ for CBS’s game coverage.

To get step-by-step details on how to watch NCAA March Madness 2022, just read through our full guide below!

With March here, college basketball fans are gearing up for some serious buzzer-beating action during NCAA March Madness. Considering 2020’s pandemic-driven tourney cancellation and 2021’s heavy COVID restrictions, the past few years have left NCAA fanatics wanting.

But the 2022 NCAA Tournament looks to be a real return to form, and the First Four is set to tip-off March 15-16 in Dayton, Ohio. While anything goes in men’s college basketball, we do know where all the games will be broadcast and televised this year.

To watch March Madness through the NCAA’s live streaming player, you’ll need to log in with a cable television provider. Cord-cutters will need alternative live streaming options. Play your cards right with free trials offered across online platforms like SlingTV, YouTube TV, and Paramount+, and you can watch the NCAA tournament for free.

Even if you’re not in the United States, you can catch the entire tournament by using a VPN to unlock access to American based-platforms.


2022 NCAA Tournament Schedule

NCAA March Madness logo

The NCAA tournament starts on Thursday, March 15 in Dayton, Ohio, and ends with the NCAA National Championship game Monday, April 4 in New Orleans.

For the 2022 NCAA Tournament, CBS and Turner Sports (TBS, TNT and truTV) will split coverage of all March Madness games. CBS’s coverage will be limited to some mid-round games, with the bulk of broadcasting going to Turner Sports — including the First Four, Final Four, and National Championship game.

Here’s a rundown of the tournament dates and broadcasters.

RoundDateBroadcaster
Selection SundayMarch 13CBS
First FourMarch 15-16truTV
First RoundMarch 17-18CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
Second RoundMarch 19-20CBS, TBS, TNT, truTV
Sweet 16March 24-25CBS, TBS
Elite EightMarch 26-27CBS, TBS
Final FourApril 2TBS
National ChampionshipApril 4TBS

How to Live Stream March Madness 2022 Online

NCAA basketball certainly doesn’t make it easy for cord-cutting sports fans. If you want to catch the entire tournament, you’ll need streaming services that offer access to TBS, TNT, truTV and CBS.

You can only find CBS on Paramount+, while TBS, TNT and truTV are available through several different streaming services.

Here’s a breakdown of how you can access all 67 games of the NCAA tournament:

ProviderMarch Madness BroadcastPrice per monthFree trial?
Paramount+CBS$4.99Various promos
SlingTVTBS, TNT, truTV$353 days
YouTube TVTBS, TNT, truTV$64.9914 days
Hulu Live TVTBS, TNT, truTV$69.99No trial
DirecTV StreamTBS, TNT, truTV$69.995 days

How to Watch 2022 NCAA March Madness Outside the US

Whether you’re on vacation or working abroad as a digital nomad, you may have trouble watching the 2022 NCAA tournament while outside the United States. Let’s say that you’re in Costa Rica, on your laptop at some Tamarindo seaside cafe and you want to watch the first and second rounds of March Madness.

If you try to log into SlingTV or any other US-based streaming platform from a Costa Rican IP address, you won’t be granted access. You’ll get a message along the lines of: “This service is not available in your country.” While it’s a bummer, there’s an easy fix you can implement in a matter of minutes.

You just need a VPN to change your IP address. Once you’ve switched your IP to a US one, you’ll be able to access American sites no matter where you are in the world.

Step-by-step guide: Watch NCAA March Madness live with a VPN

  1. Before all else, pick a VPN that’s good for sports streaming. Our pick for streaming the 2022 NCAA Final Four is NordVPN. It’s one of the fastest VPNs available, especially when it comes to its American servers.
  2. Sign up and create an account on the VPN’s website. Click the button below to head there right away.
  3. NordVPN
    Our pick
    Our pick
    Deal:
    Only $3.29 a month for a two-year subscription with a 30-day money-back guarantee!
    From
    $3.29
    9.3
    • Excellent protection and a large network of servers
    • Nice and pleasing application
    • No logs
    Visit NordVPN
  4. Download and install the NordVPN software.
  5. Open the app and log in with the credentials you created when you signed up.
  6. Connect to a server in the United States. Once connected, wait a few seconds.
  7. Head over to SlingTV, log into your account, or sign up. Find TBS to watch the First Four!

How to Watch NCAA March Madness for Free (Unofficial Sites)

While streaming subscription platforms like SlingTV, Paramount+, and YouTube TV offer officially licensed streams, there are plenty of sites out there that don’t. But be careful. If you want to use unofficial, unauthorized websites, know that sometimes they operate in a grey area of the law and you could wind up viewing an illegal stream.

We don’t recommend you use the sites below, but many online VPN users often do. That’s because a good VPN masks a user’s true IP address by rerouting their internet connection through an anonymous VPN server.

It also encrypts your internet traffic and keeps no logs of your activity — essentially erasing any trace of a digital footprint.

If you’re interested in watching March Madness for free, here are two free options that VPN users flock to.


123 TV

123TV LogoThe first thing you might notice when navigating to 123TV is the “insecure connection” notification where the secure padlock icon should be in your browser. This means that hackers or other third parties could be snooping on the site.

When you’re visiting a site through a security-oriented VPN like NordVPN, you don’t have to worry about any third parties knowing your true IP address or traffic data.

You can find CBS and TBS on 123 TV to watch 2022 NCAA March Madness live. On the site itself, 123 TV confirms that it doesn’t host the content, and isn’t “responsible for the compliance, copyright, legality, decency, or any other aspect of the content.” So viewer beware.


USTV GO

USTVGO LogoUSTVGO is another streaming site that VPN users flock to around the world. It’s got more than 100 American TV channels, including — you guessed it — CBS and TBS. The entirety of the NCAA First Four, Final Four, and National Championship Game will be shown here.

In the FAQ section, USTV GO says that the site is legal and safe to use. However, they also encourage you to use NordVPN if want to protect your identity and your device from hackers.

In fact, the site will sometimes redirect you to NordVPN’s website before you can fully access streams.


Top 3 VPNs to Watch the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

Whether you’re looking to catch the tournament’s opening tip-off or the national title game, you’ll need a good VPN to see all the top conference play while outside the US or on questionable sites.

If you still haven’t settled on a VPN, here are our top picks to stream everything from the First Four games to the final buzzer.

1. NordVPN: Where speed meets security

Horizontal narrow screenshot of NordVPN website with logo in the corner

We can’t get enough of NordVPN’s fast and stable connectivity, and their large offering of servers worldwide (5,300+). NordVPN’s become our favorite for live streaming regular-season college basketball, as well as NCAA conference tournaments.

You will be able to find a good U.S. server to stream within no time. NordVPN also offers military-grade encryption for all your online traffic.

With this service, you’ll be able to browse the internet in total anonymity, and their price point is right in the sweet spot (heavily discounted at just $3.49/month). You can test even their services with their 30-day money-back guarantee.

Read more about this provider in our full NordVPN review.

NordVPN
Our pick
Our pick
Deal:
Only $3.29 a month for a two-year subscription with a 30-day money-back guarantee!
From
$3.29
9.3
  • Excellent protection and a large network of servers
  • Nice and pleasing application
  • No logs
Visit NordVPN

2. Surfshark: Where speed meets a cheap price

Surfshark VPN provider website homepage with added logo to the corner

Surfshark is a VPN provider that has fast connections that are ideal for streaming. They also offer enough servers in the U.S. to be assured of a good connection to watch March Madness. This solid VPN provider has great encryption and allows you to browse the internet anonymously.

They have a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can see if their services are what you’re looking for. For more information on this super-fast provider read our Surfshark review.

Surfshark
Deal:
Safe and anonymous internet for only $2.30a month
From
$2.30
9.0
  • Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
  • 30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked!
  • Cheap with many extra options
Visit Surfshark

3. CyberGhost: Where speed meets user-friendliness

Screenshot of CyberGhost website page with logo

CyberGhost is one of the best-known VPN providers. They are fast and easy to use for streaming. With their services, you can connect to a good U.S. server to watch all the games from wherever in the world you are.

Their encryption is up to standard and their applications are user-friendly.

CyberGhost has a 45-day money-back guarantee, no strings attached. It’s perfect if you still want to find out if a VPN is for you. Check out our CyberGhost review to learn more about this provider.

CyberGhost
Deal:
Try CyberGhost for $2.15 per month!
From
$2.29
8.8
  • Very user-friendly
  • High quality for a low price
  • Torrents and Netflix possible
Visit CyberGhost

Once you have installed a VPN you can watch the games through one of the services mentioned below. Most of these services do require a subscription, but you can make do with the free trial. If you want to watch the whole tournament for free, you will have to be inventive and use several of these services.


2022 NCCA March Madness Favorites

Sportsbooks are already chomping at the bit for this year’s favorites, but only one team will be left standing at the end of March Madness. While the usual suspects are slated for NCAA Tournament appearances — like Gonzaga, Kentucky, and Duke — some teams will be looking to make their surprise NCAA Tournament bid.

Here’s a breakdown of the Final Four odds, according to DraftKings. Though it’s anybody’s tournament, these are the eight teams that oddsmakers are looking at.

  • Gonzaga (-118)
  • Kentucky (+168)
  • Arizona (+173)
  • Purdue (+220)
  • Auburn (+230)
  • Duke (+240)
  • Kansas (+260)
  • Baylor (+325)
Watch The 2022 NCAA March Madness from Anywhere: Frequently Asked Questions

Got some questions on how to stream 2022 NCAA March Madness? Click on any of the questions below for an answer.

You’ll need SlingTV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV, or DirecTV Stream to watch the First Four, Final Four, and National Championship via TBS. You’ll need Paramount+ to watch the games that CBS covers during March Madness. If you don’t have access to any of these streams because of your location, there’s another way to access them. Read our “How to Watch the NCAA” article for a step-by-step guide!

Yes. You can take advantage of the free trials offered by SlingTV and YouTube TV to live stream 2022 March Madness for free, including the Final Four. Find links and more information in our March Madness article.

You can watch the Final Four and National Championship on SlingTV, YouTube TV, Hulu Live TV or DirecTV Stream. You need Paramount+ to watch the games that CBS covers during 2022 NCAA March Madness.

Tech journalist
Taylor is a tech writer and online journalist with a special interest in cybersecurity and online privacy. He’s covered everything from sports and crime, to explosive startups, AI, cybercrime, FinTech, and cryptocurrency. For VPNOverview.com he follows news and developments in online privacy, cybersecurity, and internet freedom.